Rail-joint.



* No. 771,148. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

' H. HINES.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

I I 3 1 n I I *H 2 u ar E MM; M444 -HARDIN HINES,

. UNITED STATES Patented September 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

or ALAMOSA, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR or THREE-FOURTHS ALAMOSA, COLORADO.

RAIL-JOINT. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,148, dated September 27, 1904.

Application filed March 30, 1904;.

'To all whom, it flea/y concern.-

Be-it known that I, HARDIN HINES, a citi- Zen of-the United States, residing at Alamosa, in the county of Conejos and State of Colo- -exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which -it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in rail-joints; and it consists in a joint comprising a tongue formed upon one member havmg a tapering end portion and a portion of uniform thickness, together with means at the base of the rail forming lateral supports, the

other member of the joint being provided with a complementary socket having a tapering portion and a portion of uniform width, the second member being also provided with a base seat or support.

The invention consists of certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of themembers constituting a rail-joint constructed in accordance with the present invention, the members being somewhatseparated. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section through the rail-joint, the parts being in their assembled position; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rail-joint.

The object of the invention is to provide a rail-joint in which contraction and expansion of the metal under varying temperatures will be properly accommodated and yet the joint be capable of self-support, Whether rested upon ties or other auxiliary means or not. The joint is of such a character that while there may be some longitudinal movement between the members thereof there will be no lateral movement between them.

In the accompanying drawings Ihave illustrated the preferred form of the members of the joint, one member, as 1, being formed with a tongue 2, which is adapted to fit into a socket 3, formed in the other member, 4, of the joint. The tongue 2 is preferably made Serial No. 200,728. 1 (No we.)

of a depth almost equal to the entire depth of the rail, as shown in Fig. 2. The outer end of the tongue 2 is tapered, as at 5, to lit a correspondingly-tapered portion of the socket 3, as at 6. The remainder of the tongue 7 is of the same width from end to end, and the outer end of the socket 3 is correspondingly formed of the same Width throughout, as indicated at 8. The inner end of the socket 3 is closed at the bottom, the closed portion forming a shelf or tongue-support 9, upon which the tapered end 5 of the tongue 2 rests when the parts are assembled. The projecting ends 10 of the member 4 are also supported by laterally-extending base portions or shelves 11, formed upon the member 1 and extending along the sides of the straight portion 7 of said tongue 2. Both the tongue 2 and the jaws forming the socket 3 are provided with elongated apertures 12 and 13, which coincide with each other when the tongue is in place in the said socket, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Securing-bolts 14: are preferably passed through the said apertures for securing the parts together. The elongated formation of the apertures accommodates any longitudinal movement between the members caused by the contraction or the expansion of the metal under the action of varying temperatures. The ends of the rails are made of ample thickness to accommodate the tongue and socket formations above described without weakening the parts. Of course it will be evident that it is not necessary to employ fish-plates or other auxiliary means in connection with the joint constructed as set forth.

It is of importance that the tongue 7 have a straight portion for a part of its length, since the movement of the parts with respect to each other under the action of contraction and expansion will not operate to permit of any lateral play between the tongue'and the walls of its socket. The end of the tongue is always supported by the floor of the socket 3, even though the tongue be withdrawn therefrom to some extent. It will also be observed that the ends of the socket member are also supported by the lateral flanges or shelves 11. By thus supporting the opposite ends of the joint members the depression of the joint under the weight of passing trains is prevented even though the joint is not supported by ties or other means beneath. In laying rails thus connected it is not needful that care be taken to place the joints upon ties, as is usually the case in laying ordinary rails.

The construction of the end of the rails forming the joint is simple and very strong and capable of withstanding vertical and lateral strains.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rail-joint comprising a tongue and a socket member the tongue member having a straight portion for a part of its length and a tapering portion, the said portions extending from the head to the base of the rail, while the socket member is formed with a correspondingly-shaped recess or socket for receiving the same.

2. A rail-joint comprising a member provided with a tongue substantially of the same height as the rail, and the other member of the joint being formed with a socket of the same depth as the tongue and horizontal basesupports carried by each of the said members for preventing the depression of the joint under weight.

3. A rail-joint comprising amember formed with a projecting tongue, laterally-extending base-flanges forming shelves the other member of the joint being formed with a socket to receive the said tongue, a portion of the socket being closed at the bottom to prevent the depression of the tongue, the lateral shelves of the tongue member supporting the ends of the socket member.

4. A rail-joint comprising a tongue member, and a socket member, the tongue being provided with a vertically-arranged tapering end portion and a portion having parallel sides, the socket member having a recess therein, of a contour capable of fitting upon said tongue, a horizontal base portion closing a portion of the socket and supportinga part of the tongue and laterally-extending basefianges carried by the tongue member and supporting the ends of the socket members.

5. A rail-joint made up of a tongue member and a socket member, the ends of the rails being thickened to accommodate the same, a tongue carried by the tongue member having a straight portion and a tapering portion, a socket formed in the socket member having a corresponding straight and tapered portion, the straight portion preventing lateral movement between the members of the joint when the same is loosened under the contraction and expansion of the metal, base supporting portions carried by each mem ber of the joint, the said members being formed with elongated registering apertures and bolts passed through the same for securing the members together.

6. A rail-joint comprising, a tongue memher and a socket member, the tongue member having a tongue formed with straight and tapered portions, of a depth equal to that of the head and web portions of the rail, while the socket member is provided with a recess of a proper shape to receive the said tongue, and a base supporting portion for engaging said tongue and preventing the depression thereof under weight.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARDIN HINES. Witnesses:

D. E. SEATON, A. J. SHEESLEY. 

